The present disclosure relates to an accessory support structure for a vehicle engine.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-218189 discloses an accessory support structure for a vehicle engine. Specifically, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-218189 describes a pair of supports as a device for mounting an engine accessory. The pair of supports are provided on an engine body (an internal combustion engine), and arranged in an up and down direction. A pin shaft is pivotably fitted to a lower one of these supports. The other upper one of these supports has a slot which is formed in the shape of a segment of a circle drawn around the pin shaft and into which a bolt is inserted. According to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-218189 described above, a predetermined external force acting on the engine accessory toward the engine body causes the bolt to move along the slot. This allows the entire engine accessory to move toward the engine body.
To absorb the collision load acting on a vehicle, it is recommended that a so-called crush stroke be provided. To provide a crush stroke, when a collision load is applied to the engine accessory, the entire engine accessory may be moved toward the engine body as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-218189 described above.
However, according to the configuration described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-218189 described above, for example, if another engine accessory is attached above the engine accessory supported by the device for mounting the engine accessory, the supports each having the slot is interposed between the two engine accessories. As a result, the vertical distance between the two engine accessories increases by the degree to which the slot is curved to form the shape of a segment of a circle. This may cause, for example, a common power transmission belt (an endless power transmission member) wound around the two engine accessories to flutter and to make noise.
In addition, according to the configuration described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-218189 described above, the bolt is merely inserted into the slot. Thus, when the endless power transmission member is wound in the step of assembling an engine, the bolt unintentionally moves due to the tension of the endless power transmission member. This may cause the positioning of the engine accessories to vary. Such variations are not beneficial to provide equal quality.
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present disclosure to allow an accessory support structure for a vehicle engine to provide a crush stroke while reducing the degree to which an endless power transmission member flutters and stabilizing the positioning of engine accessories.